This article was originally published in News from the United States.
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday called on every state, school and district to adopt policies on cell phone use in schools.
The department asks schools to have well-thought-out policies on the matter, but does not dictate exactly what those policies should be. A guidance tool for schools highlights the risk that social media can pose to students’ mental health.
“In this digital age, every elementary, middle, and high school should have clear, consistent, and research-based policies to guide the use of phones and personal devices in school,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a written statement.
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“The evidence is clear: there is no one-size-fits-all policy,” Cardona added, noting that “different school communities have different needs, and the nuances of this issue require local voices – parents, teachers and students – informing local decisions about the use of personal devices at school.”
The department recognized the role mobile phones can play in keeping parents connected to their children, especially in emergency situations, while highlighting mounting evidence about the harm social media can have on young people’s mental health, such as sleep deprivation and depression.
Increasing state policy
An increasing number of states and school districts have implemented policies that prohibit or restrict students from using their cell phones in classrooms.
Across the country, schools and districts continue to grapple with how to handle children’s cell phone use, and more than half of all states have attempted to ban or restrict cell phone use in classrooms.
So your school wants to ban cell phones. What now?
According to KFF, at least eight states adopted statewide policies in early November that limit or ban cell phone use in classrooms.
That includes California, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Ohio, South Carolina and Virginia. A Minnesota law forces schools to adopt a cell phone use policy by March 2025.
A handful of other states’ education departments have issued policy recommendations or pilot programs, while lawmakers in several others have introduced statewide legislation regarding cell phone use.
The guidance from the U.S. Department of Education coincides with the release of a resource for education officials and local communities on adopting mobile use policies.
In the script, Cardona points to the public warning of US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy in 2023 on the effects of social media on the mental health of young people.
Murthy warns: “More research is needed to fully understand the impact of social media; However, the current body of evidence indicates that while social media may have benefits for some children and adolescents, there is ample evidence that social media can also pose a significant risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.”
